BATON ROUGE -- A coalition of tourism interests is working to keep a .03 percent share of the state's 4 percent states tax dedicated for tourism promotion and related purposes, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said Monday. Dardenne, whose office oversees tourism and tourism marketing, said that
he expects dozens of tourism officials, chefs, restaurant owners and
hotel operators to descend on the House Appropriations Committee next
week to lobby to preserve the long-standing tax, which generates about
$23 million to $24 million a year.

Gerald Herbert, The Associated PressLt. Gov. Jay Dardenne has often expressed concern about money being taken from the office of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to finance major events like the Final Four, Super Bowl and Essense.

Dardenne told the Press Club of Baton Rouge that the coalition is working under the name IMPACT Louisiana, or Investment Means People Are Coming to Louisiana.

Dardenne said the tourism fund in recent years has been tapped to help lure and market the 2012 men's Final Four tournament, the 2013 Final Four women's tournament, the Essence festival, the 2013 Super Bowl and other major events, as well as financing arts grants to parishes.

Dardenne said other state agencies, like the Department of Economic Development or the state general fund should help finance the special events, not just his office.

He said although the events generate money for the state, "the tourism budget should not be the revenue source paying for the events."

He said if the state general budget or the economic development agency chipped in $2 million to $3 million for the expenses of landing special events it would free dollars in his budget for tourism advertising and promotions designed to get visitors to the state.

Dardenne said based on his calculations the state has committed between $10.5 million and $12.5 million of the tourism tax for the fiscal year starting July 1, leaving him with less than $14 million for tourism marketing, promotion and related expenses such as operating the welcome centers on major highways at the state's borders.

According to studies done for his office by the University of New Orleans and others, Dardenne said for every dollar the state spends on tourism, advertising and promotion, it receives $17 in return, he said. "An investment in tourism is going to yield dividends statewide," Dardenne said.

"I want to be able to compete with Florida and Texas, not (just) Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi," he said. "I want to be able to compete with Las Vegas and Chicago and New York for convention and leisure travel."

Florida, he said, has about a $35 million tourism budget this year while Louisiana's tourism promotion-advertising budget for 2011-12 was about $5.9 million.

Dardenne said with no further cuts in his budget, the state park system will be able to keep its present hours of operation without any closures.

But with the uncertainty of passage of pension law changes that could free additional money for the state, the fate of the parks budget may be in doubt, he said.